Kids Weigh More When Parents Believe They're Overweight in the First Place

Children may put on more pounds over time if their parents perceive them to be overweight in the first place. In a study of 2,823 Australian families, kids whose parents considered them to be overweight at ages 4 and 5 gained about 23 pounds more by ages 14 and 15 than did those whose parents had said they were normal weight 10 years earlier—regardless of how much they actually weighed. When the children themselves were surveyed at ages 12 and 13, those whose parents had said they were overweight when they were younger also believed themselves to be overweight, and reported more attempts at dieting. Researchers believe the findings might relate to stress eating due to the stigma attached to the label of being overweight. Source:Psychological Science, published online Jan. 13, 2017